"A festival official said the three Emiratis were taken out on the grounds they are too handsome and that the Commission [for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices] members feared female visitors could fall for them," the Arabic-language newspaper Elaph reported this week.

The Emirati delegates were subsequently deported back to their home country.

According to an official statement released by the UAE delegation following the incident, it seems the religious police were unnerved by the presence of an unnamed female artist from the UAE.

"Her visit to the UAE stand was a coincidence as it was not included in the programme which we had already provided to the festival's management," said UAE delegation head Saeed Al Kaabi in his apology to festival officials.

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Muhammad also projected his homo erotic fantasies on the Quran. It's a common theme in Sufi poetry, in fact Rumi's lover Shams-e-Tabriz was killed by his followers out of jealousy, after which Rumi became half mad. Shams means sun, so when you read Sun in Rumi's poetry, replace that with Shams e Tabriz and you'll understand how his longing for the beloved is interpreted by gay Muslims.

"And there go round, waiting on them menservants of their own, as they were hidden pearls." - Quran

Elsewhere he mentions boys beautiful as hidden pearls, and in another depiction of paradise these pearl-boys will be serving cocktails in cups made from gems or something to that effect, so the gay muslim heaven is a big rave, imagine the White Party, but muslim.

From Persian poet Omar Khayyam, what is thought to be homoerotic poetry although I don't know if that's wishful thinking, projected onto the tent-maker, or the sensibility of translators, or maybe actual. Also here: "the homoerotic imagery is just as evident as its nonstandard syntax".

Persian, not Arabic, but infused with Islamic sensuality all the same.

XIWith me along the strip of herbage strownThat just divides the desert from the sown,Where name of slave and sultan is forgot —And peace to Mahmud, on his golden throne.

XIIA book of verses underneath the bough,A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thouBesides me singing in the wilderness —Oh, wilderness were Paradise enow.

XXIAh, my beloved, fill the cup that clearsToday of past regrets and future fears:Tomorrow! Why, tomorrow I may be myselfWith yesterday’s sev’n thousand years.

XLIPerplexed no more with human or divine,Tomorrow’s tangle to the winds resign,And lose your fingers in the tresses ofThe cypress-slender minister of wine.

Of course, the illustrations make clear this is a love poem from man to woman, but Victorian sensibilities come into play. I don't know where the truth lies, but it's interesting to read as a love poem from man to male lover.

Abed Azrie and a Spanish musician made this homage to Sufi poets from medieval Spain. It's called 'Sabio Amigo' and the beautiful lyrics translate as "There must be a wise friend who succours the heart aches of he who goes in solitude subjected to his pains"

This topic led me to a search, and as usual came up with a Wikipedia summary of the topic. Interesting reading.

It's no surprise that sexuality in a different culture will be expressed differently. Nothing is ever simple. Even though there is a focus on youth (as if, in western culture there is not), I suspect young girls / young women fare even worse than boys / youths / young men, in oriental culture - having to marry very young, and risk for pregnancy meaning risk of profound punishment.